Third suspect in Manipal gang-rape case arrested

Yogesh, the third suspect in the Manipal gang-rape case, was arrested and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, K.A. Nagajyothi, here on Thursday. The magistrate remanded him in judicial custody till July 15.

Sadananda Thippannanavar, police inspector, told presspersons that Yogesh would be lodged in a jail in Shimoga for security reasons. The magistrate had permitted DNA profiling of Yogesh, he said.

Yogesh, who had been admitted to the Kasturba Hospital in Manipal on June 27 after he had attempted suicide by consuming pesticide, was discharged on Thursday morning. Immediately after his discharge from the hospital, the police arrested him.

Yogesh had attempted suicide fearing arrest by the police. He had consumed pesticide and then called the IGP (Western Range) Pratap Reddy on telephone and confessed to his crime. The police teams had immediately traced Yogesh and he was rushed to the Kasturba Hospital in a critical condition. His condition was critical for a few days, after which he recovered.

A student of Manipal University hailing from Kerala was abducted in an autorickshaw and later gang-raped near Manipal on the night of June 20.

The police caught the three suspects after a search operation. Two other suspects in the case — Ananda and Hariprasad — are also in judicial custody in Shimoga till July 15.

Two persons, Balachandra, brother of Yogesh, and Harindra, brother of Hariprasad, who tried to destroy evidence in the case, too were arrested by the police on July 2.

They are in judicial custody at the district jail in Anjar village, about 15 km from here, till July 15.

The medical student, who had suffered a fracture in her leg, received treatment at the Kasturba Hospital and was discharged on July 4.